My Lucky Stag
by carexofxmagicalxcreatures
Summary: Every Christmas Eve I looked for him, my lucky stag. He was something special. I just never knew exactly how special he was. XXXwritten for jily secret santa 2012XXX one-shot


**This was a request from my gift receiver during tumblr's jily secret santa event. She specifically asked for a story where Lily is obsessed with stags OR a songfic based on "Ho Hey" a song by THE LUMINEERS. I decided to do both in one soooo...Happy Christmas Anastasia! Enjoy it gorgeous!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

MY LUCKY STAG

**And love, we need it now**

**Let's hope for some**

**Cause oh, we're bleeding out**

"Happy Christmas, Lily!" Professor McGonagall called to me as I left the single table filled with students who had stayed at Hogwarts over the Holidays.

"Thank you!" I offered with a small smile before tucking a strand of my bright red hair behind my ear with a laugh, "Are you coming Anna?" I asked the only Gryffindor girl left with me for the holidays who was busy talking it up with a Hufflepuff.

"No, no, head on without me." She waved me on and I took that as my leave.

I put on the tall dark blue wizard hat I'd won out of a Christmas cracker, fitting it tightly over my head as I walked along the darkened hallways smiling to myself. I had originally been upset that I'd been asked to stay behind to help out with prefect rounds over break but experiencing a Christmas at Hogwarts was turning out to be as magical as I'd imagined it. Tonight we'd had a Christmas Eve party with the teachers and tomorrow I was invited to a Christmas dinner with Slughorn—my favorite teacher.

As lonely as I thought I was going to be I was pleasantly surprised because really, this walk was the first alone time I'd had for a while.

I'd been in this castle for five years and I had yet to actually take my time to actually explore the castle on my own. Instead of heading back for the common room I walked along the first floor hallway enjoying the sound of my shoes hitting the stone floor. My eyes traced the paintings lining the walls until I got to the walkway that passed over to the second phase of the first floor. I paused, debating if I wanted to go any further when something caught my eye outside.

The windows of the walkway reached up to the top of the ceiling and snow was falling thickly outside. The light from the torches was catching the snow to create an almost blinding white sheet. Even with the snow I didn't miss the shadow of an animal right outside the window. Was it a dog?

I wasn't exactly dressed for a quick walk outside but I'd always been curious and if it was a unicorn I sure wanted to complete my holiday by seeing a unicorn. I'd been reading about them since I got to this school as an eleven year old and almost every girl my age had seen one—except for me.

Excited at the prospect I raced down to the end of the walkway where there was a large wooden door that opened to the grounds. I pushed it open, gritting my teeth when the blizzard conditions cut through my thin black tights and bright red dress I'd worn for the occasion. I felt the wizard hat blow off my head as I looked around, squinting my eyes to see through the snow.

_There it was._

My eyes focused on an animal standing probably only ten feet away. The snow was falling thickly but not too ridiculous so I stepped forward, blinking away the flakes as they landed on my face. Was it a unicorn? Where was my wand when I needed it? The animal stepped forward timidly and the snow slowed for a moment allowing me to realize that this was no unicorn.

"Oh." I said presently at the sight of a young stag standing in the snow watching me with large eyes.

I stepped out of the way of the door; pushing it open more so more light could shine in the direction of the animal. Instead of running it watched me with interest, the light falling on it to show that the animal had a darker coat then most, especially on the top of it's head with tufts of black fur sticking up around the base of the antlers. The antlers themselves rose up in two long points telling me this was a young animal—I knew enough to make that insignificant judgment.

"You're just a little thing." I cooed, stepping forward more, causing the stag to step back into the shadows.

"Oh wait!" I called, my inner animal lover coming out, "I didn't mean to frighten you."

When I'd been five my dad had taken my sister and I to a zoo and we'd fed the deer at the zoo small crackers. I remember the soft feel of the fur and I wondered to myself if this one was just as soft. I shivered, I had been expecting the animal to run at the sound of my voice but I was shocked when suddenly the animal was slowly stepping towards me lightly, watching me with large hazel eyes. I was taken aback—I'd never seen a deer with hazel eyes. Was it magical?

My muggle heritage kicked in and I wondered for a moment if this was a reindeer. I chuckled to myself remembering there was no Father Christmas. When I snorted, making the animal pause in its approach. I mentally hit myself for laughing at myself. I also felt silly for expecting this to be a reindeer—it was so small compared to the picture's I'd seen of reindeer.

The deer was watching me with appraising eyes as if wondering if I could be trusted. I reached out one of my hands, Goosebumps on my flesh from the cold. It stretched out its neck so its nose almost touched my hand. The hot damp breath of the deer fell over my flesh and it tickled.

"See, there you go!" I told the animal, "I'm friendly!"

The animal snorted and I was reminded of a laugh. I let a smile flutter over my face at what was happening. No one would believe me if I told them! I had been hoping to see a unicorn but this was better—I felt like I had a connection with this animal. Suddenly a shadow broke over the light and I spun, seeing Hagrid, the grounds keeper, blocking the light. I turned back to where my deer friend had been but it had disappeared into the snow.

"Evans?" the games keeper called, squinting at me through the snow, "You'll catch yer death out here! Get yerself inside!"

I grinned sheepishly as I bounded back for the door that the gamekeeper stepped away from to appraise my now soaked look.

"What were yeh thinkin' Evans! In a dress?" the large man asked me, rubbing his bread as I shivered deeply, I hadn't really noticed how cold I was until Hagrid had shown up.

"I s-s-saw a—a—" I was shivering like mad now; the snow that had stayed on me had melted and soaked me through to the bone.

Hagrid sighed, wrapped a hand on my shoulder which warmed it up considerably, "Come on, we'll get yeh to the Great Hall so someone can get yeh warmed up."

I couldn't help but glance back at the windows as we left but my stag friend was gone. Shivering, I allowed myself to be led back to the Great Hall where Professor McGonagall chastised me for standing out in the snow like my mother would've done and the Headmaster told me I looked mesmerized.

I was mesmerized.

In one, five-minute interaction, that stag had become my favorite animal.

Everyone turned when two more Gryffindors entered the Great Hall soaked as I had been before someone set their wand to me with a warming charm. Sirius Black and James Potter—ringleaders of their gang—had come for the end of the party grinning and slapping each other on the back as they came close to my side to reach for leftover meat which each of them stuffed into their mouths without so much as a glance at anyone.

"Nice of you two to join us." Professor Dumbledore spoke to the two boys who grinned the old man's way before winking at each other, "Enjoying the weather like Miss Evans was I presume."

Sirius shook his head, splaying droplets of water over everyone within a foot of him, grinning, "Yeah! Snow is brilliant!"

"Mr. Potter, please take Mr. Black and go back to the dormitories to clean up." Professor McGonagall looked at Sirius who was grinning shamefacedly at Miranda Davies who was wiping water off her shoulder from his snow-quake. "There's no need for behavior like this at dinner."

"We just went outside." James rolled his eyes but grabbed Black's elbow.

Just as he was leaving though he grinned at me, winking with one of his stupid hazel eyes, "Enjoy the snow Evans?" he asked pleasurably, "We should go out tomorrow in it together, eh?"

"No." I affirmed which made a few of the students around titter.

"Ah!" he pretends to grab his chest as he walks away, "Shot down again like a common animal!"

I rolled my eyes; maybe if he were an animal I would like him more. Instead, I was stuck with the arrogant and proud _human_ James Potter who constantly liked to remind me how totally astounding he was as a chaser on the quidditch team or how his dad used to be an auror and took James to work with him.

Yes, James Potter would be a better animal—like a deer. I smiled to myself as I sat back down at the table I'd abandoned earlier. I would like the supercilious James Potter much more if he were my silent stag friend from earlier.

**~~~I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart~~~**

I didn't see my friend the stag again even though I looked the rest of my fifth year. I was hopeful now as I walked along the hallways just as I had done exactly a year ago on Christmas Eve. There had been moments where I'd glanced out the Hogwarts windows and thought I'd seen a deer roaming the grounds but I never really saw him. I wondered if he had died, he was probably a tasty treat for a werewolf and I knew from rumors that there might be a werewolf on the school grounds. Still, I pushed all bad thoughts aide and hoped desperately I'd see the animal as I finished up rounds.

I didn't know why but I felt attached to the stag.

It wasn't as late, in fact the sun shouldn't go down for another hour or so, so I nonchalantly glanced out the windows as I walked along the hallways of the castle. I was so focused that when I fell to the floor in a jumbled pile of robes, wands, and legs that I screeched in surprise. Two hands wrapped themselves around my waist to push me off as I was likely crushing the body under me.

"Sorry!" his voice had deepened from last year and he was alone—that was new too.

"Potter." I scrambled to my feet, a blush creeping up my face, "Hi."

I watched as James Potter slowly got up, straightening his glasses and looking directly into my eyes, "Hey Evans." His voice was soft, almost detached.

Sympathy for the black haired boy reached me. James Potter—although as arrogant as a witch weekly model and as annoying as a biting owl—had been going through a rough patch ever since his dad had passed away. Just two weeks ago he'd been involved in an incident at the willow where he was said to have pulled Severus Snape away from a monster. As someone who was friends with Severus I felt slight gratitude for James—he didn't have to go in after Severus but he did. Everyone in the school knew that incident had led to a falling out between Sirius Black and James Potter who had once been inseparable.

James hadn't taken any of those events well and he'd been drinking. I'd caught him more than once at the act and I knew the Headmaster was threatening to do more than give him detention if he didn't shape up.

On top of all of that, I'd heard that he'd broken it off with his girlfriend in Ravenclaw just at the start of the holidays. All in all, I couldn't find a bone in my body to hate the guy right now.

"How are you doing?" I asked him with a flash of a grin as I picked up both our wands from the floor, passing the older looking one his way.

"Fine." He stated, watching me like a deer about to bolt, "Are you ready for Christmas tomorrow?"

"Yeah." I tried to pick up the mood with a grin, "Old Slughorn invited me over in the morning for brunch and I heard the house elves planned a special dinner tomorrow night. You?"

James shrugged, "I'm alright, sorry for running into you—I was headed back to the dorms and lost my train of thought." He managed to flash me an old grin that I recognized.

"Want to accompany me?"

I smirked, placing my hand on my hip, "No, I've got rounds to finish."

He snorted, shaking his head at me, running his fingers through his messy black hair, "Right. Later, Evans."

And he headed for the set of stairs not too far from where I'd come. I shook my head with a small smile before continuing my long route to the first floor where I planned to end rounds. It may have been sad that he had to experience so much tragedy but it had certainly leveled the boy.

The sun was setting quickly and I had just made it from the third floor to the second floor when I spotted it running full speed along the edge of the forest. It was running fast, and it disappeared just as I made my way over to the windowsill. My eyes scanned the forest edge but were depressed to see the stag was gone as quickly as it had come. Was that my stag? I finished up rounds quickly just so I could go out the front entrance hall to the castle grounds. At least this time I was properly dressed and I thanked Merlin that I'd remembered to wear my scarf. I pulled the gold and maroon scarf tighter around my neck as I scanned the forest near the gamekeeper's hut and started walking in that direction as the sun continued to fall.

When I reached the edge of the trees I didn't dare go any farther—the forest had been forbidden as long as I had been a student at Hogwarts. There were only a few rays of sunlight left and the sun blazed orange as my breath came out of my mouth like smoke. Maybe I had imagined it again—maybe it had been—

_Crunch._

I spun on my heel, wand pointed at the creature behind me. I started when I saw it was a stag, rather larger than my stag from last year and this time instead of three tines the stag had six. Last year my friend the stag had only been a young stag and this one seemed older and more mature but sticking up around the base of the antlers were tufts of black hair and I saw the same unrepeatable hazel eyes. I knew logic went against it but I _knew_ this was the same deer. Maybe magical deer were different from plain old non-magical deer.

"It's you." I breathed, eyes widening, "You're alive."

The stag snorted, pawing at the ground, lowing its head. I jumped back, pointing my wand higher again, would it attack me? But no, after it realized I jumped away it lifted it's head and eyed me with a tilted head. Almost like it was smiling at me. I let my own grin escape as the light from my wand fell over it's large body.

"You've grown." I said, "It's almost crazy how much you've grown."

I was talking to the stag like it was human but something about it just seemed right. Something about this stag felt _human_. The stag pawed at the ground again and advanced towards me, making me fall back onto the frozen ground in astonishment. My wand rolled away from me and suddenly I was anxious. I turned my eyes back into the eyes of the stag, which was still approaching me gradually, cautiously. I held my breath and closed my eyes, waiting for one of those brilliantly sharpened tines to pierce through my skin. Instead I felt the heat of the stag's breath on my cheek. He smelled me. I opened one eye slowly and saw he was timidly stretching his head towards me, smelling me.

"You are _not_ a normal stag." I mumbled as I stood up slowly, brushing off my now dirty robes, "You are not like other deer—you're so _plucky_." I could've sworn the stag puffed out its chest when I said that but I felt like I was crazy enough as it was without that thought in my head.

I shivered, it was arctic and almost completely dark and I had to walk all the way back up to the castle so I knew I'd have to leave the stag…the animal seemed to sense that because without a second look he dashed into the green shrubbery at the base of the forest. I watched for a moment to see if he'd come back but when there was no sign of anything but it getting darker I lit up my path with my wand and continued the long trek back to the castle.

The night was getting colder and the clouds rolling in were covering what little moonlight the moon could provide. I wrapped my cloak around me and continued walking towards the castle doors.

"What on earth are you doing outside alone now Lily?"

I spun at the voice behind me but found no one.

"Up here." The voice said lightheartedly.

I looked up and saw James Potter on a broomstick watching me with an inquisitive look on his face. He looked sweaty and had obviously been practicing quidditch out on the pitch alone. He was casually leaning over the end watching me, looking much more in his element than he had up in the castle earlier. His smirk was reminiscent of last year's James Potter.

"I could ask the same of you." I grinned up at him, "I thought you were headed for the dorms."

"Got sick of it." He answered smoothly; lowering the broom so that he was at least at eye level and I didn't have to strain my neck to look at him, "Want a ride back to the castle?"

I laughed tensely, "No, I'll walk." For some reason being on the same broomstick with James seemed as scary as attacking a basilisk head on.

He made a face, "Really Evans, don't let your self righteousness make you catch hypothermia. It's freezing out here."

"Self righteousness." I scoffed, glaring at him, "I'm not self righteous."

He grinned a stupid lopsided smile and tilted his head at me, "And I'm not an arrogant bullying toe rag, now come on…" he landed beside me and patted behind him for me to climb on, "it'll be a minutes ride at most and warmer than walking back in the dark alone."

I sighed but eventually my frozen hands won over the fight inside me and I swung my leg around the broom and sat down, crossing my arms when I was firmly seated. James didn't go anywhere.

"Lily?" He spoke, voice muffled, as though he were trying to stifle a laugh.

"What?"

"You'll want to grab on to my waist."

This was a ploy of his. It had to have been. I blushed as I put both of my hands on either of his shoulders. I think he chuckled when I didn't grab him like he suggested. Git. Just then we rose up quickly off the ground and zoomed forward. I squealed, forgetting all embarrassment and wrapping my arms around him, locking in for protection.

He was laughing at me as we zoomed to the castle which was growing larger as we got closer. I pinched the back of his neck as we slowed and I was able to gain one arm from my death grip.

"You fly like we're racing a hippogriff!" I said as he continued laughing.

I think this is the first time in months I've heard James Potter actually laugh. I liked his laugh, deep and resonating as he landed us carefully on the front steps of the castle. I jumped off the broom and planted my feet firmly on the ground, glaring at him. He swung the broom up over his shoulder and came up to me with the widest smile.

"You're a crack up."

I felt a blush creep up my neck at how close he was and was cursing him for his stupid laugh and stupid broom when I met his eyes. His stupid hazel eyes. His stupid, gorgeous, hazel eyes that matched my large eyed stag impeccably minus the addition of square framed glasses that were slightly fogged in the cold night air. He must've seen my face fall because he tilted his head in interest and grinned reminding me even more of my stag friend. I suddenly very much didn't have an aversion to James Potter. In fact, I suddenly wanted to kiss him.

I wanted to kiss him very much.

"You all right Evans?" he asked and I shook my head.

"No. I mean, yeah. Thanks for the lift." I stepped away quickly, trying to regain what shred of my dignity I had left, "Happy Christmas!" And I ran.

I ran like my stag friend had done, ran up the stairs and didn't look back because I knew that how ever much I wanted to kiss James Potter—he wanted to kiss me more and for some reason that scared me.

**~~~I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart~~~**

I would easily say my timid nature around James Potter last Christmas Eve had taken a one eighty turn.

It wasn't my fault I was completely smitten with that idiot. It wasn't my fault my heart started beating faster at even the slightest mention of him. It wasn't my fault. It was his fault. His stupid black and messy hair. His stupid crooked grin. His stupid nerdy glasses. And Merlin did I mention his laugh? His laugh was so deep it made goosebumps rise on my flesh.

And it wasn't my fault we were currently snogging on the pitch underneath the bleachers. I had been all for getting back to the castle before the snow started falling but now the snow was falling thickly and now we were underneath the cover of the risers. As always my hands were entangled in his messy back hair as my lips hungrily moved against his in a customary movement.

That laugh was muffled under my lips as I pushed him against the closest wall, lifting my hands under his quidditch robes and fisting his undershirt. He broke away from my mouth leaving hot, wet, and amazing kisses along my jaw and down to my neck sucking on a point just beyond my ear. I shivered but sadly it wasn't all because of his kissing.

"James." I whimpered.

"Hmm?" he stopped to grin at me with that look that he was up to no good.

"As much as I love snogging you on a quidditch pitch when it's snowing. It's _cold_." I said, pursing my lips at him to show him, "See! My lips are blue."

"That just means I need to kiss you more." He debated, leaning in and pressing his own cold lips against my own, forcing my mouth open just enough for me to start to respond.

I groaned into his mouth as I lost all my resolve and melted into him again. James helped lift me so that I could properly attach myself to his person as we continued kissing like the end of the world was near. With my eyes closed, my other senses were on fire. The mere touch of his hands made me feel like I was about to catch on fire like a phoenix.

We slid to the cold ground with James unable to hold me up any longer. It was almost torturous when he kissed me so slow, so passionate. I'd spent the better half of my school year avoiding the boy who treated me like I was an angel.

_Why?_

Merlin the things he could do to me.

I was shocked back into the reality of the situation when he tried to reach under my sweater.

"Christ, James!" I shouted, rolling off his form, wrapping my arms around myself, "James your hands are bloody freezing!"

He snorted, still on his back on the ground, he was laughing at me. I made a face at him and stood up, all good feelings replaced with a chill.

"Yeah kinda kills the mood doesn't it." He chuckled, also standing up but still eyeing me with the suggestive grin, "Let's take then someplace a bit warmer. Under some mistletoe."

"Oh please," I snorted, taking his hand in my own so we could walk back up to the castle, "Like you need mistletoe around to kiss me. Just last week I was in mid conversation with Tabitha Sky and you cut me off to snog me in the middle of a prefect meeting."

"_End_ of a prefect meeting." My boy corrected me, letting go of my hand so that he could throw his arm over my shoulder.

I sent him a pointed look but didn't bother disagreeing. I found out quickly that arguing with James Potter was about as effective as hiding a shiny watch from a niffler.

"Besides," James continued as we exited the stadium and started to walk back towards the castle slowly as the slow fell around us, "I can kiss you anywhere I please. It's in the contract."

I laughed and hadn't really meant to look towards the forest as we walk but I found my eyes trailing towards the woods. It was Christmas Eve—the only time I ever saw my stag. I knew it was probably just coincidence last year but that didn't stop me from glancing to see if the stag was perhaps playing in the frost air. James strained his neck to see what I was twisting to look at.

"What is it?" He asked, suddenly very alert—James was like that. A sudden shift in my mood he would catch it and respond.

"Oh nothing." I said, reassuring him with a smile and a light kiss on the lips. I leaned up on my tiptoes so I could properly ruffle his hair, "It's just Christmas Eve and every Christmas Eve since fifth year I've seen this stag and I just always thought he was my good luck charm you know?" I pretended to laugh it off but deep down I was dejected that I hadn't seen him yet. I really did think seeing him was my good luck charm.

James was eyeing my peculiarly and I suddenly felt very embarrassed so I was about to backtrack when suddenly he was all over me. His hands were running through my hair, down my arms, touching my face. His lips were moving against mine with such intense ferocity I was having trouble matching his kisses and it was more like he was trying to swallow me.

I pushed against his chest, "James!" I said into his mouth, "What is it?!"

"Love you. I love you so much." He said against my lips, not letting me go, pushing into me like I would disappear any second.

"I love you too." I said, laughing, pushing him back finally, able to catch my breathe, "But wow."

He snorted, letting go of me with one hand so he could mess up his own hair and stare down at me with an adoring look in his hazel eyes, "Wow, is damn well right you impossibly _perfect_ girl." He leaned down to nuzzle my nose to his like we were deer. I let a smile light up my bemused features.

"Maybe you'll be my good luck charm this year." I told him, kissing him, "My stag."

And then I laughed as his lips fell back onto mine as he picked me up and spun me around.

Yes.

He was my hazel-eyed stag.

**~~~I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart~~~**

"It's Christmas Eve and we aren't at Hogwarts." I sighed, as I kneaded the dough to make the bread for dinner tomorrow night.

"It feels weird." James agreed, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist, kissing my cheek.

"It's been a good year though." I continued, turning to hug him tightly, "Right?"

"An amazing year." He agreed, nuzzling me with his nose, "In fact I have an early Christmas present for you…"

I couldn't hold back a grin if I tried and I felt my eyes light up, "James you shouldn't have!" but inside I was like a kid inside a candy shop.

He chuckled, "You have to go to the backyard." He told me, letting go of me with a mischievous grin.

"Ah dear," I grinned, "What do you have planned for me Mr. Potter?" I teased as I scurried my way to the correct door leading out to the backyard of the Potter mansion where I'd taken up residence with James since school had let out.

I turned to look back when he didn't answer and found he had disappeared from his spot behind me. Perplexed I opened the door to outside. It was foggy and slightly chilly so I wrapped my arms around myself. Outside the sun hardly shown through the clouds and fog but I could make out the small quidditch pitch not too far away.

"James?" I called for him, looking around, "Where are you?"

And then my arms dropped and I stared in surprise. A stag was stepping daintily towards me. Large with huge antlers that seemed to reach for the sky: he was handsome and had large hazel eyes. Large hazel eyes that looked oddly familiar.

"It's you." I gasped and suddenly turned to the house shouting for James, he had to see this. This stag…it was _my_ stag. It had the same black tufts of hair; the same amused and proud look. I was about to run in to grab my boyfriend who had disappeared when I turned back to check to make sure the stag hadn't been a figment of my imagination.

Instead James was standing there looking embarrassed, barefoot, and clothed in jeans and a black shirt. His hand reached up to ruffle his jet-black hair, a nervous habit.

"What on earth?" I put a hand on my forehead, staring at the boy before me, "James there was just a—" he grinned and came forward to hug me.

I pulled away from him to say, "I thought I saw a stag. James?"

His grin turned positively sinful, "You did."

"What?" I whispered.

James pulled out of my arms and backed up, moving away from me. I stared at him with bewilderment all over my face. I was about to ask him what drugs he was under when he started shifting, morphing, and changing. It was almost instantly that my James was gone and had been replaced—by my stag.

"Impossible." My eyes were probably as round as dinner plates.

It was my stag with the same large eyes and same tufts of black hair sticking up around the base of the antlers. This close I could make out the darker coloring around the stag's eyes that almost looked like frames of glasses. I stood up slowly, watching the animal as it watched me.

Animagus.

The word fluttered through my head. I'd learned about them in transfiguration but it took years to master and I think my Professor would've mentioned if my boyfriend was one.

"James?" my tone was nothing but skepticism.

The stag stepped forward, snorting and staring at me with a look that was purely James.

"James Potter what are you?" I managed to breathe just as James appeared in front of me with a sheepish grin on his face. "James that stag…"

And then he started to tell a tale about a boy with no friends who tried to keep his werewolf secret under control. I just listened to James, trying to make sense of what little remained; learning that since our fifth year James and his mates had become illegal animagus. How James never told me because he wasn't sure if he could ever tell me but now he was positive he could trust me. How he loved me. It wasn't the fact that James was doing this illegally, it wasn't the fact that he loved me, it was the fact that once upon a time I had wished James was more like the stag when in real life my James—my boyfriend—was the same stag I'd seen every Christmas Eve for the past four years.

James asked me if I was ok, worry etched on his face. He was obviously troubled that he'd made the mistake to trust me. I just took him by his black shirt and kissed him flat on the lips and his stupid hazel eyes closed the instant his lips hit mine. I pulled away from him, searching his eyes for some sort of laughter to show me this was a joke. He was completely serious.

"You were the stag on Christmas Eve." I murmured, brushing his hair from his eyes and placing another kiss on his lips.

A slight blush crept up his cheeks, "I've wanted to tell you for ages and then last Christmas when you said I was your good luck charm…but you didn't know," and he put both his hands to my cheeks, forcing me to keep my eyes connected to his, "Ever since then I've known that I belong with you."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, stepping away from him to stare at him, "You. It. The stag was _you_. You always showed up in Christmas Eve and—"

"Shut up." James told me, kneeling down on one knee.

"Oh my-" I fell back three steps staring at the hazel-eyed idiot in shock, "Holy hippogriff!"

"You honestly didn't see this coming?" he teased as he picked something up off the ground in front of him. It was a little black box that had a diamond ring inside. I think I stopped breathing.

"Merlin." I finally breathed, falling to the ground, cross-legged, staring at my boyfriend. He grinned even more and crawled over to me.

"I want to marry you, you crazy girl." He breathed, kissing my nose tenderly before grabbing my hand. I just stared at him incapable of saying a word. Had I imagined the stag? Had James shocked me so much I was going crazy? He just sat there, holding my hand as we both sat on the ground staring at each other. His rich hazel eyes were twinkling at me behind his square frames.

And then I choked back a sob and threw my arms around him, kissing every spot on his face I could reach. "Yes, yes, yes a million times yes!"

And in that moment I agreed to make the biggest change in my life—changing my name and marrying a man I had known for eight years now. We kissed, holding into each other and ignoring the cold.

I had my lucky stag and my boy. They were the same and they were mine and I was never letting them go.

* * *

_**If you enjoyed it leave me a nice christmas present in the form of a review or an ask on tumblr!**_

_**Love,**_

_**Sasha**_

_**ps**_

_**Anastasia: Sasha is my name-trickery is my game. I am both. if you understand what that means.**_

_**Happy Christmas!**_


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